Hello!! from Peter and myself.

[pandactivity]

Hello everyone i have a squirrel named Peter, hes 6-8 weeks old.
I acquired him from a family friend, and im here to learn to care for him, and make sure im doing everything correctly!

[farrelli]

Can you tell us his diet, what you feed, how much and how often? It is THE most important thing. After that, what is he kept in?

I'll post a few links for you in a second.

:Welcome

[farrelli]

Basic care:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?11782-I-FOUND-A-BABY-SQUIRREL-NOW-WHAT

How to feed: (Head pointed down, 1CC syringe pointed up, go slow, and listen closely to see if you ever hear clicking. We need to know immediately if you do.)

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?36777-PROPER-FEEDING-TECHNIQUE!!

Diet when he gets older:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Right now he should be getting Esbilac puppy powdered formula (with probiotics on the label), or Fox Valley formula, a combination of the two (ideal), or a goat's milk formula that we can tell you how to make. He should be weighed daily at the same time (ideally after pooping/peeing) because that will tell you how much to feed and tell you how he's progressing. He should get 5-7% of body weight each feeding, probably around every 4-5 hours, depending on age.

Eyes open at 5 weeks, does this give you a better estimation of his age?

[pandactivity]

Basic care:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?11782-I-FOUND-A-BABY-SQUIRREL-NOW-WHAT

How to feed: (Head pointed down, 1CC syringe pointed up, go slow, and listen closely to see if you ever hear clicking. We need to know immediately if you do.)

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?36777-PROPER-FEEDING-TECHNIQUE!!

Diet when he gets older:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Right now he should be getting Esbilac puppy powdered formula (with probiotics on the label), or Fox Valley formula, a combination of the two (ideal), or a goat's milk formula that we can tell you how to make. He should be weighed daily at the same time (ideally after pooping/peeing) because that will tell you how much to feed and tell you how he's progressing. He should get 5-7% of body weight each feeding, probably around every 4-5 hours, depending on age.

Eyes open at 5 weeks, does this give you a better estimation of his age?

I got the formula, but the liquid one because i did not know to get the powder one, I was told by a little rehab center near me to feed baby food (fruits/veg) and so he has had some of that and eats it with great gusto.

his eyes are open he poops and pees a lot.. i mean a lot a lot, the poops are dark brown and hard, i give him some water sepperate from his formula/food. i tried to give him green beans and broccoli but he did not want any. went for the brocs but then changed his mind.
i dont have to get a scale so ill have to get one. iv been feeding him every 5 hrs.

:)

[pandactivity]

also, his skin elasticity is normal, his tail sometimes curls over his back, his tail is sometimes fluffy and sometimes not, he does not make any sounds as far as iv heard,

[farrelli]

I would definitely stop with anything but formula or blocks. That's what we recommend here (most rehabbers don;t really know that much about sqs). We recommend that they be given formula for as long as they want it (it's very good for them) but at about 6-8 weeks they start liking solids too, so people throw a quality rodent block in with them to gnaw. At first, a lot of people use Kaytee Forti-diet (in the blue bag) because it's cheaper and at first they mostly just turn them to dust rather than eating them, then once they are really eating them, they switch to Henry's (linked to in the diet thread and is the only blocks made specifically for squirrels - one bag will last an adult a month). Once eating blocks consistently, then you introduce veggies, then fruit and nut treats (and both should only be treats). We find that if you introduce them too early, they shy away from the block, which should be the core of their diet.

I would definitely get rid of the liquid and get the powdered Esbilac.

If his poops are hard, I think that he might be a bit dehydrated. In the first link I age you there is a pinch test for dehydration, you should see what the results are.

Do you have any pics to post? Not only do we love them, we can often tell a lot about a sq from them.

[pandactivity]

231712
231713
231714231715

hes sleeping right now, he just ate :v
but i assure you his eyes open lol

[pandactivity]

also are Oxbow brand lap blocks (for adult rats) okay?
Thats what I feed my rat, so that's what I have on hand atm

[farrelli]

Oxbow is a good brand. Just make sure they're not made of corn and seeds.

He looks a little underweight to me and his fur looks kind of spikey to me, which can mean poor nutrition or dehydration. I'd get off that liquid Esbilac asap.

[pandactivity]

do you think its okay to keep him on it til the morning? I live in the rural mountains with no walmart/petstores.
after reading the dehydration thing, i think he may be so im going to make him some of that "home made pedialite" until morning.
I dont understand the spikey part, but he is underweight, the person that had him before me said he used to be really tubby but he lost a lot of weight the week she had him, which is why she gave him to me, i usually rehab feral kittens (that need to be bottle fed etc)
however this little guy is a whole different ballgame.

[farrelli]

Yeah, the morning will probably be fine. Any chance you have any Ensure? That's good in a pinch too. You could also try making a slurry out of the blocks and the formula and see if he likes it. You know they like all this very warm, right?

[pandactivity]

Yeah, the morning will probably be fine. Any chance you have any Ensure? That's good in a pinch too. You could also try making a slurry out of the blocks and the formula and see if he likes it. You know they like all this very warm, right?

yeah of course, like a kitten i assume you shouldnt feed cold formula, i do think i have ensure actually, but it might be chocolate im not sure ill go look right now.

[farrelli]

I'm apprehensive about chocolate. I know that many here have gotten into some without consequence (other than being a bit hyper) but I don't know. You'd have to make the call on how strong he is at the moment and if it would be worth it. We usually recommend vanilla or pecan.

But I have to go to bed now. Good luck! I hope to see some good updates tomorrow. Other people will also be chiming in. TSB is a very active board.

[SammysMom]

:Welcome Peter and mom! You are getting great advice from farrelli! How much and how often are you giving formula? How much does Peter weigh?

[pandactivity]

just one chocolate ensure, and i don't think i want to risk feeding chocolate, i made some of that home made pedialite and he had some and is now very active and looks a lot better, (just had 3 1/2cc of it then no longer was interested he just wanted to crawl around the bed)
i WAS writing down all his feedings but im unsure of where the paper went when my fiance was left to feed him when i was at work today -_-
He was eating about 3 1/2 ccs of baby food (fruit.peaches today) and 1 1/2 cc of water per feeding, every 4-5 hrs.
i dont have a kitchen scale sadly so ill have to get one to weigh him. to make sure he's gaining.

[Turner's Mom]

Hello Panda and Peter. just wanted to say welcome to TSB :Welcome. It is a great and wonderful thing that peter has you to help him though this rough patch in his life. Be patient and keep asking all the questions you want. I have learned so much here. Turner is my first baby squirrel and he is now thriving, a lot in part to the help i found here at TSB. Everyone is new to this at one time and it looks like you and I are not alone in the newbie line up. As you read though the board you find several of us that have joined in just the last week.

So happy you found TSB and I hope that you are as happy that you did as well.

[farrelli]

Any updates today? Did you get the formula? Is he any better?

[Madamelipstick]

Hi Panda welcome to TSB. So glad you found this place. it is a life saver for newbie like. Us I am new here also. This people are so helpful. I just saw Peters pictures. He is a tiny little boy. I bet in no time you will have him healthy and fattened up. Good luck and so glad to meet you. My boy are Fenwick and Ludwig. We will be watching for you and your handsome boy.

[anniedancer]

[QUOTE=farrelli;999285]Oxbow is a good brand. Just make sure they're not made of corn and seeds


Hi! I am a newbie. Started feeding squirrels about 2 months ago. Gone from 4 to 14! Several are pregnant. Why is corn a bad thing? All the packaged "Squirrel Feeds" contain corn. I have noticed the corn isn't getting eaten by the squirrels. Please explain.
Annie

[farrelli]

Anniedancer, please start a new thread for your sqs. There's probably a lot you need to know. Diet is job one, two, and three with sqs and the thing most people get wrong, often despite thinking that they were feeding a great diets of nuts and such. Corn is bad because it has a high amount of phosphorus, which blocks calcium absorption, which causes Metabolic Bone Disease, causing weakness, lethargy, paralysis, seizures, and death. It comes on fast and is very difficult to reverse. In a few months we will have a rush of people who's babies are dying because they gave them the wrong diet. Ideally, the calcium to phosphorous ratio of foods should be 2:1, but most foods are fairly shy of that. Corn, peanuts, pine nuts, and a number of other foods are crazy on the other end of that spectrum though and are terrible when given as anything but very infrequent treats. Nuts in general are kind of high in phosphorous as a general rule, and that's why they're only supposed to be treats.

Please review the healthy diet thread:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

And the cal/phos listings of various foods:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?15397-Food-Data-Chart-Update-Calcium-to-Phosphorus-Ratios

I look forward to you starting a new thread.